BEIJING: Eleven “terrorists” were killed during an attack in China’s far western region of Xinjiang yesterday, state news agency Xinhua said.
“The terrorists, riding motorbikes and cars, attacked a team of police who were gathering before the gate of a park for routine patrol at around 4pm in Wushi County in the Aksu Prefecture,” Xinhua said in a report.
“Police said the terrorists had (an) unknown number of LNG cylinders in their car which they had attempted to use as suicide bombs. Several terrorists were shot dead at the scene,” it added.
Eight were killed by police and three died “by their own suicide bomb”, Xinhua said.
Xinjiang, home to the Muslim Uighur people, has been beset by violence for years, blamed by the government on Islamist militants and separatists who want to establish an independent state called East Turkestan.
Exiles and many rights groups say the real cause of the unrest is China’s heavy-handed policies including restrictions on Islam and the Uighur people’s culture and language, Reuters
